Broadcasting (Apr - June 1960)

attached to questionnaires, managers of medium and small stations stressed the importance of good local news coverage, especially in towns with no newspapers. It was described as the only way a small station can fight big station quality. Respect for radio is built in the community by good news coverage, some managers emphasized. A number described the news program as the most profitable aspect of modern radio, with greater sponsor “continuancy” noted. Some pointed to the difficulty of finding qualified news personnel, citing the use of station news jobs as stepping stones into advertising and public relations and the high salaries commanded by newsmen. Over nine out of 10 news reporters in small and medium stations and four out of five at large stations also broadcast the news. Roughly the same ratio prevails in the case of editors. Responsibility for reporting, writing, editing and news judgment rests in a single person at 57% of small stations, 66% of medium stations and 80% of large stations. In nine out of 10 cases this person was called either news director or news editor. Persons with news responsibility at stations not having a news director or editor are: announcers 21%; program directors 28%; station managers 34%; other 14%. Revenue Decline ■ A slight decline was shown since 1953 in the percentage and number of hours of locally originated news programs having sponsors (about 70% are sponsored). About two-thirds of network newscasts are sponsored at the typical station, unchanged from 1953. Three-fourths of UPI augments service with ‘audio’ news reports United Press International has made its long-expected move into the voiced news service field. Effective with the Summit Conference in Paris, it is offering to UPI radio wire clients daily news feeds on top stories as they break around the world. This initial venture into audio news is two-phased. The first is spot reporting, the field UPI is in now. It consists mainly of “actuality” reports (that is, the actual sound of an event as it takes place, as with the Khrushchev news conference in Paris) with some “commentary" reports (descriptions of events such as last week's tidal waves in Hawaii). The second phase, targeted for mid-August, will be background reports on various topics compiled by UPI newsmen, taped and mailed to subscribing stations. The operation, called “UPI Audio," is functioning under the UPIMovietone division, which now supplies film news coverage to both tv stations and theatrical newsreels. It is headed by William R. Higginbotham, general manager of UPIMovietone. and Bob Hewitt, editor of the UPI Audio department. Mr. Higginbotham, bullish about the prospects of a voiced service at this point in radio’s development, says his preliminary research turned up “no ceiling on the demand." One nationwide survey of UPI radio clients conducted early this year turned up a 93% expression of interest (based on 600 responses from over 1,800 UPI clients surveyed). One of the first spot news offerings, the Khrushchev news conference, was picked up by 280 stations. A test program in the background reports area was purchased by 420 stations. How UPI Audio Works ■ The physical setup is relatively simple. When a news story breaks, the UPI Audio editor in New York (who has access UPI’s regular news wires) orders up a circuit to bring the report into New York, where it is taped and edited. When the taped report is ready to be moved, New York tells UPI in Chicago to notify radio wire subscribers via teletype, giving them the New York number to call. Any subscriber who wants the report calls New York station-to-station, identifies himself to the UPI operator and is immediately cut into the tape via a special 10-line multiplex switchboard. The only drawback to the system at present is that subscribers sometimes get a busy signal— tests have shown that “the switchboard lights up like a Christmas tree” within minutes after notification is put on the radio wire. As the system develops, however, UPI plans to install duplicate facilities in key cities — so that the demand can be spread around. The charge to radio wire subscribers— $5 per report. Most reports will Switching station ■ UPI Audio’s spot news feeds to subscribing stations traffic through this tape center in New York. News reports are fed to this center from points around the be under three minutes in length, both to fit easily into station programming and into the telephone company’s 3 -minute call rate structure. Clients make no long range commitments for the service. If they want a report, they call for it. UPI feels that only an existing news service can economically offer a voiced service in today’s radio economics. And even operating as a supplemental service to the larger UPI system, it finds costs “still large.” This led to the decision not to set up “hard wires” — full-time circuits to supply news feeds to stations— because stations are unwilling to pay for them. The taped report service to begin in August will be set up on shortterm agreements with UPI client stations at fees based on cost of furnishing the material and station ability to sell it in a particular market. At the start one 30-minute program will be supplied each week. world, taped, edited, then replayed through the custom-built 1 0-line multiplex switchboard. Bob Hewitt, editor of the UPI Audio department, is manning the desk. BROADCASTING, May 30, 1960 63